Prior Engagment
by toothpastekisses
Summary: Visiting La Push, ballet dancer Abi doesn't expect to find love, let alone with hot-headed Paul Lahote. Abi is thrown into the world of werewolves and vampires; will she find a way to overcome the obstacles that are forcing her and Paul apart? PaulxOC
1. Preface

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Twilight, only Abigail and her storyline.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Preface<em>**

Blood trickled down my neck as I breathed in short ragged breaths, all the while he stared at me with dark eyes. I pulled at the metal chains that were securely fastened round my wrists, and chained to the wall behind me. He only chuckled at my feeble attempt to free myself.

I could feel my heart beat louder as he inched ever so slowly towards me, I shut my eyes and focused on Emily's house back on the Reservation; I felt the familiar tingle of low heat in my palms, and steadied myself, ready to shift.

My legs suddenly buckled beneath me as I felt electric shots jerk through my body. I scream out in pain as I hit my head against the wall, and felt the blood start to slowly weep into the collar of my shirt. My body spassamed aginst the pressure of the shocks. My body slowly went still as the volts dulled, and eventually stopped.

"It's hard to shift whilst you have a thousand volts of electricity passing through your system." He murmured as he stood in front of me. His eyes once ice blue, now a thick blood red.

I didn't understand, I'd never had trouble shifting before. I could shift to and from anywhere; underwater, from centre town to home. Hell, I could even shift from one end of the country to the other. Then it hit me; the electric current was interfering with my molecular structure, making it that the heat couldn't pass through my skin, which would then enable me to shift.

He roughly pulled me to my feet, and pushed me against the wall, pressing his body against mine.

"You can't shift anywhere Abigail." He whispered before moving towards my neck.

I felt my blood run cold as his frozen lips lightly pressed against my skin, trailing kisses across my collarbone. There was no way out, I was trapped. I tried to force him away from me, only to have him push harder against me.

"Zachary, please don't." I begged.

_"Do not resist me."_ He warned. "You'll only make this harder for yourself."

My body went limp as he kissed my collarbone, his other hand slowly caressing my thigh. I wished to have a warmer touch - a familiar one, belonging to the man I loved, instead of this monster.

_Please,_ I screamed in my mind. _Please don't hurt me._

I felt his teeth graze against my neck, nipping ever so slightly. I flinched and my blood ran cold - Zachary smirked against my skin. This was the reaction that he wanted from me; _fear._

"Time is up darling," He whispered. "Not even your mutt can save you now."

I closed my eyes and awaited death. _I love you, Paul_ was my last thought before I lost consciousness.

* * *

><p><strong>(AN): **Just a little side-note, when they talk about Abigail 'shifting', they don't mean that she shifts into a wolf. You might just want to bear that in mind. Don't worry, it will all become clearer in the next few chapters. :)

I apologise for any grammatical mistakes within this chapter/preface. I'm using my old laptop and it's refusing to spell-check any of my work.

Review?


	2. Chapter One

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Twiligh, only Abigail and her storyline.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter one.<strong>

"Good evening, this is your captain speaking. As we begin our descent into Seattle, we ask if all seatbelts can be fastened, and all luggage is stored safely in the overhead compartments. All cabin crew to landing positions. Thank you for flying with us today, and behalf of the crew and myself, we hope you have a lovely Summer."

3674 miles later, and I'd finally made it. The eight hour flight hadn't been uncomfortable, I had plenty to do. I'd watched two films, finished an entire book full of Soduku's - well, apart from one which I'm _sure_ they must have made a typo on, there was absolutely nowhere to put that damn six! - I'd gone through all my emails (twice), and even looked up local ballet studios in and around Washington.

I'd been attending the Royal Ballet School in London since I was eleven, eight years on and I had just passed my National Diploma in Professional Dance, and was now on my way to qualifying to become a full time ballet teacher at the school.

Founded in 1926, the school offers an eight year carefully structured dance course, aligned with an extensive academic programme, giving the students there the best possible education to equip them for a career in the world of dance. It remains one of the foremost classical ballet schools worldwide.

It's a boarding school, catering for both girls and boys. I'd boarded all year round for eight years, only returning to my Aunts house in Surrey for the Christmas, Easter and Summer holidays. My Aunt had requested that I would stay at the school during half terms, she'd even paid an extra fee on top of the annual school fees just to make it possible with the Chair of Governors. Eventually they said yes. Sometimes I got the impression my Aunt didn't _want_ me to live with her.

Annual course fees cost around £32,000, add on accommodation - £3,900 - and my Aunts payment of an extra £1,000 every year to secure my stay over half terms, my Aunt was paying a staggering £36,900 a year. Multiply that by eight and you've got a grand total of £295,200. When I first started the school, my Aunt had asked me if it was even worth attending the school; I had then launched into a ten minute description of my dream to become a Prima Ballerina. Prima Ballerina Assoluta is a rank or title given to notable female ballet dancers. To be recognised as a Prima Ballerina Assoluta is a very rare honour, reserved only for the most exceptional soloists, usually those who have achieved international acclaim.

Only two Britons have been branded Prima Ballerina Assoluta - Alicia Markova and Margot Fonteyn - and I was determined to be the third.

Looking out of the plane window, I could see the blur of lights that made up the small city of Seattle. Living in London, I was used to the city life - having to continually dodge taxis, and fight my way through seas of people - so adjusting to life in a small town with a few hundred occupants would be easy. Or so I thought.

After slowly filing off the plane, and dragging my suitcases from Baggage Claim, I made my way out of the airport and into the fresh air. Being greeted by a sticky humidity, I was instantly thankful for pulling on my denim shorts this morning, along with a light sweatshirt.

After hailing a taxi, and the driver helping me load my two suitcases into the boot, we sped off and onto the highway.

"Where to, love?" He asked as I looked out of the back seat window.

"La Push Reservation, please."

After an hour of constant driving we pulled into a dirt road, signposted _'La Push Reservation, home of the Quileute tribe.'_ Home sweet home.

Pulling up at a small red two-story house, butterflies buzzed forcefully around in my stomach. Three years, I hadn't seen her in three years. _Would she even recognise me?_ I'd changed a lot since then. I had grown taller, slimmer and become a hell of a lot more wiser. I wasn't that shy fresh out of school teenager anymore. Not that little girl, set on a fairytale ending with a Prince Charming who'd never let me down. I'd realised that fairytale endings weren't real, and there definitely weren't any Prince Charmings in this world. Boys would be boys, and men would be men. Nobody's perfect - I had learnt that the hard way.

The taxi slowed to a crawl, then to an eventual stop. Opening my door, the butterflies in my stomach were turning my insides to knots, making me feel dizzy and slightly sick.

The house was a double-story, sweet but small. Painted a faded red, the house had a charismic charm to it. Ivy grew up the walls, laced with delicate white roses. The porch held a rocking swing, being gently swayed in the breeze. A white picket fence surrounded the house, but I felt that the fence wasn't the only thing protecting the house from the outside world.

The driver cleared his throat uncomfortably, pulling me away from the survey of the house. He'd unloaded my cases from the trunk, and placed them on the sidewalk next to me.

"Twenty dollars please, darlin."

I pulled two tens from my shorts pocket, and handed it to him.

"Have a good day sweetheart." He tipped his flat cap up, got back in the taxi and drove away, leaving a dusty trail along the road behind him.

Breathing heavily, I picked up a suitcase in each hand, and headed towards the open gate. Stepping onto the porch, I could hear laughter from inside. Setting down my cases, I knocked on the door and took a hesitant step back, distancing myself slightly from the house in front of me.

I heard footsteps pad along the floor, getting closer. I in took a sharp breath, and as the door swung open, I exhaled deeply.

Standing at 5"9, not many towered over me, but the man who stood in front of me was at least 6"4. Tanned, tall and lean, he reminded me of the memories I had of the men on the Reservation when I had lived her all those years ago. I had once called this place home, now it felt more like that than ever.

"Can I help you?" The man asked, looking at me.

I swallowed nervously. "I'm looking for Emily Young?"

"Uh, sure. Come in." He stood to the side and walked into a room just off of the hallway. "Em, someone's at the door for you."

I followed the boy into the room which turned into the kitchen. He sat down at a small crowded table which occupied four other similar looking guys, all digging - _quite literally_, they looked like animals when they ate - into their individual plates which were stacked high with pancakes.

"Who was it Jared?"

I took a deep breath and set down my suitcases on the wooden floor. "It's me."

* * *

><p><strong>(AN): **This first chapter has a lot of information about Abigail childhood and upbringing. I wanted to give you a brief idea of what her life was like before she boarded the plane to Washington - this isn't the only information that you'll learn about her past, believe me there's a lot more coming. The Royal School of Ballet does exsist, I;ve tried to make it as accurate as possible, I had to ask my friend who goes there _a lot_ of questions. I know there's alot about the school, but I wanted to make it obvious how much ballet means to Abigail.

Review?


	3. Chapter Two

****Disclaimer:** **I don't own Twilight, only Abigail and her storyline.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter Two<strong>_

**PPOV**

"Ha, I win!" Seth said triumphantly. Groaning, Jared and I both threw our cards down on the table, and each passed a twenty dollar bill to Seth, who looked like he'd just won the lottery.

"Dude, you only got forty bucks. Don't get too excited." Embry smirked at him.

"But you see Embry, now I'm forty bucks richer, and just proved that you two," he said pointing to Jared and I "suck. Crowning me champion of the cards."

"Champion of the cards? You were playing Go Fish. A slightly girly game don't you think?" Embry snickered.

"We were playing poker." Jared growled.

"Sure sure." Sam laughed.

"Well, it's been great, but I gotta go." I pushed myself away from the table, and leant back, yawning.

"Where you off to?" Jared asked.

"Fishing." Brady laughed. We all turned to face him.

"I say on behalf of everyone here; uh, what?" Jacob asked.

"You know, 'cause they were playing Go Fish, so I said fishing..." Brady trailed off.

"Dude, that was awful." Collin said, shaking his head.

"As I said, it's been - uh - great. But I'm pretty tired from my date last night." I said whilst stretching my arms.

"Paul, Sam said that if we haven't already imprinted, then we shouldn't date. You know what it was like for him and Leah." Jared said quietly. It was silent for a few seconds, and Jared cleared his throat lightly, throwing Sam a sympathetic smile.

Brady suddenly pointed at me, "But you date girls, like all the time!"

I just chuckled, "I'm an exception. There's no way in hell I'm imprinting. Having to tie myself to one chick forever and never having the freedom of choice? Sounds like hell."

I received a disappointing look from Sam, and a glare from Jared. "Well some of us are lucky to have already imprinted, and know that it's not like that at all."

"And those who haven't imprinted have realised that it turns you into a wuss. Just take poor Jared here for example; Kim's got him wrapped round her finger." I smirked.

"Dick." Jared hissed. I was still laughing as Emily walked into the kitchen.

"Do you boys want some breakfast?" She asked with a smile. As if on cue, Seth's stomach growled loudly, and he ducked his head and the rest of us laughed.

"Pancakes sound ok?"

"Sure."

Embry slowly went back to dealing and shuffling cards at what he called 'lightning speed', in a feeble attempt to show off. Embry showing off could only lead to one thing - embarrassment, and usually on his behalf. As if on cue, there was a knock at the door, distracting Embry for a split second. The remaining un-dealt cards slipped ever so slightly from his grasp, and exploded mid-air.

"Aw, _man_." He whined in annoyance, and mumbled something about the door.

"Smooth move, kid." I laughed as Emily frowned at me.

"Jared, can you get the door for me please?" She asked whilst laying down a plate stacked high of pancakes in the middle of the table.

"Pick up the cards, Paul." Sam smirked. "_All_of them."

"Aw, man." I whined.

"Smooth move, _kid_." Embry

"Don't tempt me, pup. I won't hesitate to bring you down."

"Pssh, yeah right. Like you even could." I lurched forwards, aiming to grab his leg and pull him down, but Sam pushed me back into my chair.

"You've got to start controlling your anger, Paul. Lashing out at people won't help you." Sam yelled.

"What, so I don't make the same mistake as you?" As soon as the words left my mouth, I regreted it. I cringed as Seth shook his head at me. A judging look from the youngest in the pack is never good - it means you've really fucked up this time.

I turned in my chair to face Emily. "I'm sorry Em, I didn't mean it."

She turned towards me and gave me a weak smile. "I know Paul. We've all made mistakes and we've all got to live with them. Some of them are more of a burden than others. But what doesn't kill us makes us stronger." I smiled sadly at her, then met Sam's eyes.

"I know that you're right about me Sam, I'll do better next time."

"Yeah, you will. And pick up the cards, you're not getting away with it that easily."

"Whatever." I sighed, leaning down and gathering the cards into a pile.

"Em, someone's at the door for you." I heard Jared walk back into the room, followed by footsteps, treading lighting as if scared to step any heavier. Jared's chair scraped against the wooden floor as he sat back at the table.

"Who was it Jared?"

"It's me." A female voice answered.

Not expecting a female to answer, I looked up. Nobody had _really _explained Imprinting to us; there was no real point - it was even more uncommon than shapeshifters and vampires, although both of were just day-to-day regulars in La Push. The whole soul-mate thing had never appealed to me before. Having fate decide who you were destined to be with for the rest of your life? Being forced into a relationship with some stranger you'd never even met before? Having no choice in when or who you were going to fall in love with? Yeah, you can see now why I was never exactly Imprinting's number one fan. Sam had tried to explain it to me once - he said that it's that moment when you first make eye contact with a person. Suddenly only they matter to you - any thoughts of friends or family are swept from your mind; everyone else just becomes a blur. It just sounded like a cheap version of love at first sight to me. Yet as I made eye contact with the girl in front of me, all those previous thoughts blurred, and she became the only thing that mattered to me.

_Holy shit _- I'd just imprinted.

* * *

><p><strong>(AN): **yes, I _am _sorry for not uploading in a while - quite a long time actually - but I've got so much coursework and revision to do for my January exams. I've only been back at college for little over a month and the work-load is already piling up. I know that's not an excuse for uploading sooner, but I wasn't sure about the ending - I must have re-writen it about twelve times. Yeah, I'm not sure if I like this chapter - for some reason I find it hard writing in Paul's point of view, so I think it will become only a every-now-and-then POV. It'll be back to Abigail's POV in the next chapter - I just wanted you to see the Pack together before Abigail appears in their lives.

Review?


	4. Chapter Three

****Disclaimer:** **I don't own Twilight, only Abigail and her storyline.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Three<strong>

_"When she was just a girl, she expected the world.  
><em>_But it flew away from her reach, so she ran away in her sleep.  
>Dreamed of para- para- paradise every time she closed her eyes."<em>

_-_ Paradise : Coldplay.

She was as beautiful as I remembered her to be - only now three scars now sat on her right cheek, stretching to her collar, and disappearing under her shirt. I stood in silence for a few seconds, before I felt a tear slowly escape from my eyes. I brushed it away quickly, embarrassed to have been seen crying by a group of strangers.

"Abi? I don't understand..." She murmured, holding her hand to her mouth.

"I'm so sorry Em. I wasn't going to come, but I had to." I whispered, feeling more tears taint my cheeks.

She suddenly sobbed and threw herself across the room towards me. I met her in a shaky hug. I cried into her shoulder, and for the first time in a long time, I felt truly at home.

I'm not sure how long we stood holding each other for, but after a while I felt her pull away from me slightly.

"Wh...what are you doing here?" She cried, wiping tears from her eyes.

I took a deep breath and smiled weakly. "I just needed to get away. I couldn't stay there any longer, it's killing me. I'm sorry, I just panicked. I saw my passport sitting on the table and-" I whispered.

"Abi, you have nothing to be sorry about. You're family, and family are always welcome here." She wiped another tear from my cheek, and patted my shoulder gently. "I am always here for you Abi, don't forget that."

"I won't." My voice shook as I pulled away from her, wiping my eyes.

"Promise?" She said, holding my hands.

"I promise." I laughed quietly.

I watched as Sam stood up from the table, and walked across the room towards us. "Hey Abs."

I lent forwards and wrapped my arms around his waist. "Hey Sam."

"Jesus Christ Abi, you've grown."

"Yeah, well that does tend to happen." I say with a smile.

He laughs and pulls me back in for a hug. "I've missed you." He said.

Emily went to his side, and he wrapped an arm around her protectively. She took a deep breath and looked me in the eye.

"I know you've only been here for a few minutes, but I have news." she trails off, and tugs at her baggy t-shirt to reveal a small, yet perfectly formed bump.

Pregnant. She's pregnant.

I try to say something but my throat becomes suddenly dry, and I stutter a few incoherent syllables before forming an actual sentence.

"How far along are you?" I ask, reaching out my hands to hold her tiny bump.

"Four months. I took the test a week after we. - well you know. I went to the doctors at the twelve week mark, and they told me the baby was healthy and ok, so I came home and told Sam that he was going to be a daddy."

"The best day of my life." Sam smiles lovingly at her, and kisses her cheek softly.

The way they looked at each other, it made my heart pang. I smiled, happy for them.

"So he gets to find out before me?" I ask with a small pout.

"Well he was the one that-"

I hold my hand up to her. "Spare me the details, please." I say, cutting her off. They both chuckle.

Someone at the table cleared their throat, in an attempt to make themselves noticed.

"Abi," Emily said, and put her arm protectively around me, leading us both towards the table. "These are our friends, they work with Sam. This is Jared, Collin, Seth, Brady, Embry, Jacob and Paul." Pointing to each of the boys as she said their names.

I met each set of eyes for a brief moment, and smiled, yet the last eyes were the clearest. My heart stopped. It started again, but it beat a lot harder when I meet his eyes. They were light amber brown like my dad's. They tilted at the ends, by his temples, slanting up, just the tiniest of bits. They softened a little as I stared into them. I could actually smell the musk of him - a deep woodsy smell that made me slightly light headed.

Emily's hand slipped from my waist, and from the corner of my eye, I saw that she turned to face me. I felt my cheeks taint a slight pink, and I hastily looked away from the strangers gaze, and met Emily's knowing smile.

"I'm Abigail."

"Emily's friend." Sam grinned at me.

I smiled as my eyes met Paul's again.

A chorus of hey's! and sup's? echoed around the kitchen, and I smiled back.

"You're British!" Says one of the voices - Collin?

I nodded and ran my hands through my hair nervously.

Sam pulled an extra chair to the table. He gestured for me to sit, and I did.

I'm not sure how we managed it - those boys are freakishly huge - but somehow the six of us sat round Emily's kitchen table.

"So where abouts in England are you from?" Jared asked.

"London. Kensington to be exact."

"Live in a big city like London all by yourself?"

"No, I actually board at the Royal Ballet School."

"You're a ballerina? That's hot." Embry smirked.

Paul hit him on the arm and turned back to me. "Sorry about him, his mum dropped him on his head when he was baby."

I laughed - a real, genuine laugh.

Paul laughed too.

"So are you any good?" I arched my eyebrow at him. "At ballet, I mean." He added with a stammer.

I chuckled, "I'm OK I guess."

"Abi, you're trying to become Prima Assoluta, that's more than just 'OK'." Emily said with a smile.

"Em!" I muttered, and blushed.

"Wait, Prima-what?" Jacob asked with a confused look. I laughed, and looked around at everyone else - they've all has the same confused look, even Sam.

"Prima Assoluta." I said with a laugh. "It's a title given to the most renowned ballerina, ie. the best of the best."

"And that's what you want? To be the best?" Paul said.

"Yeah," I said with a smile."It's everything I've worked towards for the last eight years."

We fell into a comfortable conversation, and I felt myself start to relax.

"So what's the plan then? Tour the world as a dancer? Buy as many tutu's as humanly possible?"

"Well I've already got too many tutu's as it is, so I think that plan's out the window. But I passed my National Diploma in Dance last year, and now I'm qualifying to become a ballet teacher at the school."

"And what do your parents think about that?"

My parents.

What would they think?

"I have no idea," I hesitated. "They died when I was only a few months old."

Paul's face instantly crumpled, he exhaled and looked at me desperately.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything."

"It's OK. I mean, you can't really miss what you never really had, right?"

There was an uncomfortable silence.

Seth cleared his throat, and turned to me.

"I'm still confused, how do you know Emily?"

"Like Sam said, we're friends. After my parents died, my Aunt became my legal guardian and a few months later, we moved from London to America, not too far from my mothers friends - Aya and Navid Young; Emily's parents. Emily and I became best friends. We would copy each others styles, tell each other secrets, you get the picture.

When I turned eleven, my Aunt and I moved back to London. When we got back my Aunt made me audition for the Royal Ballet School. I passed the auditions, and I've boarded at the school ever since, only returning to my Aunts for the holidays."

Emily patted my shoulder gently, before clearing plates from the table.

"I'm sorry I had to make you talk about it." Paul murmured softly.

I shrugged, "I don't mind, I'm a lot stronger than you think."

Hours passed, and I'd been quizzed on everything from my favourite film - An Officer And A Gentleman - to favourite pizza topping - pepperoni. I wasn't even sure if I liked pepperoni, it had been a while since I'd last eaten either meat or carbs.

Around six, I felt my eyes start to droop and my contribution to the conversation was slowly getting less and less animated.

"Abs?" Emily said, rubbing my shoulder and waking me.

My eyes fluttered open, and I realized my head was resting on the table.

"Sorry, I'm exhausted. It's something crazy like a seven hour time difference from here to London. Back there it would be," I checked my watch. "Two AM.." I trailed off yawning, feeling my eyes start to droop again.

"Do you want me to show you to the guest room?" She asked, helping me up from the chair.

"No Em, it's fine honestly. I passed a motel on the way through from the airport, I'll ring and see if they've got a spare room."

"Abigail Porter, there is no chance that I'm letting you stay at a cheap motel on the side of some highway. Grab your bags, and get your butt upstairs into that guest room, or I swear to God-"

"Woah, Em! OK, I'm sorry I suggested it." I laughed.

"Good choice. You wouldn't like the motel anyway - rats, bugs and who knows what else." She shuddered and picked up one of my suitcases from the doorway. I grabbed the other, called out goodnight to everyone and followed Emily up the stairs and into the second doorway on the landing.

A double bed sits at the far end of the room, a wardrobe and dressing table are pushed up against opposing walls, and a small bookshelf stands to the right of the doorway.

"I know it's not much, but we weren't exactly expecting company." Emily said with a chuckle.

"Again, I'm really sorry about that."

She just laughed and set down my suitcase next to the wardrobe.

"I know sweetie, but you're here now and that's all that matters. Get some sleep and I'll see you in the morning."

She left, shutting the door behind her. I turned to my cases, groaned at the thought of having to unpack, and decided to leave it until morning. Not bothering to change out of my clothes and into pajamas, I pulled back the covers and slid into bed. I curled myself into a ball, and for the first time in months, I didn't cry myself to sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>(AN): **it's been two months & I apologize for that. you would not believe how stressed college work is at the moment. But the Christmas holidays have let me just sit and write, so yay for holidays. I know it's only one chapter, but hey, that's one more chapter than you guys had this morning! I really hated writing in Paul's POV last chapter, so don't think I'll be writing in his POV that frequently.

I hope Abigail's past isn't too much? I didn't want her to have the parental influences in her life, forcing her to become more independent. Oh, and her Aunt is a bitch. Just saying.

In the first chapter, I wrote that Abigail hadn't seem Emily for three years, and you'll find out why in the next (if not one after next) chapter.

So I've decided that each chapter I'm going to put song lyrics that sum up the chapter as a whole. This chapters song is Paradise by Coldplay (personally, my favourite band). It sums up Abigail's life as she grows up - she dreamed of paradise - leaving her Aunts etc. So yeah, I think that's something that I'm going to be doing for each chapter I upload.

Anyways, enjoy the chapter, and I hope you all had a lovely Christmas & you have an amazing New Years - as for me, I'm going to be getting 'adequately' drunk, and partying the night away.

Review?

Hugs & kisses ~ katiee.


End file.
